A Couple Things: Northmen Outlast Beaches

One of the most important and anticipated OJLL games in recent memory did not disappoint, as the Orangeville Northmen secured a crucial overtime victory over the Toronto Beaches by a score of 14-13. It was the best game I have seen in person this season.

Joey Spallina led all scorers with 4 goals and 8 assists, while Matt Collison led a furious Beaches comeback in the third period and finished officially with 3 goals and 5 assists. 

I was on the call for the OJLL for the first time from Ted Reeve arena. The full stream can be found below!

Let’s get right into A Couple Things from this one. 

The Clock Is Running Out On The Beaches 

The nightmare scenario for the Toronto Beaches is beginning to unfold. With just two games remaining, they sit at 7-11, and while they are technically still in eighth place, they have played more games than pretty much any other team.

Toronto has games left against Mimico and Oakville. Oakville traded half their roster and is re-building, so it is likely that the Beaches will get to at least 8 wins. That might be enough to get them into the postseason, but it might not. They will need a win in Mimico, along with taking care of business in Oakville, to feel good about their standing. 

The most important thing the Beaches have going for them is finally getting some rest. They played four games this week, and are battling injuries, fatigue, and the mental burnout caused from the stress of their predicament this season. 

Their comeback against Orangeville was borderline remarkable and shows both the resilience, and the offensive talent of this group. Their next game is next Friday in Mimico, so they get a full week off. They need to rest, re-group, and hopefully get a few guys back from injury. 

There is also still the looming appeal from their forfeited games. I am not aware of a timeline on that process, but there is a chance there will be news before next friday. 

The margin for error is pretty much gone. Toronto needs wins. 

Bowie Horsman and Easy Goals 

One of the great characters of the NHL in recent years was former Maple Leaf Phil Kessell. I remember hearing when Phil got traded out of Toronto, that he could score “easy” goals. Goal-scoring, especially in the playoffs, can be an excruciating process. While teams have to work so hard to create a goal, Phil could take a pass on the wing and just snap one home. 

I mentioned this idea last night in reference to Bowie Horsman, who scored a hat-trick for Orangeville including the game winner in Overtime.

Of course, the phrase “easy” goal is ironic. Horsman’s shooting ability is something he has honed over the course of his lacrosse career, through hours and hours of skill development and dedication. The term “easy” refers only to the other players on the team.

Here was his first goal, which wasn’t necessarily bad defence. But Horsman just found a free goal for Orangeville.

Whatever analogy you want to use, Horsman’s ability to score from the outside has added another dimension to this Orangeville offence. It won them the game in this one. 

Here is the second goal, another sweet stroke from the outside.

On the overtime goal, the Northmen scripted a great play for Bowie. It’s an action that many NLL teams run, where instead of setting the up-pick on the ball carrier, the low player sets a pick on the opposite side (i.e a lefty sets the pick for a righty). 

Defences are often unprepared for the cross-pick, and the shooter has space. Horsman doesn’t need much, and he comes off a Trey Deere pick and logs on to www.istingcorners.com. It put the game on ice for the Northmen. 

Another Monster Outing for Spallina

In a game that featured six of the top 12 scorers in the OJLL (not including the Beaches players other than Firth who were in the top 12 before the forfeits), Joe Spallina was the player of the game. He finished with 4 goals and 8 assists. He woke up this morning leading the OJLL in scoring. 

Firth is still the MVP this season for me, and Finn Thomson has had to carry a heavy load in Mimico. But Spallina’s numbers continue to leap off the page, especially in the assist column. He has been the best distributor in Canada this year. The additions of Horsman and Brian Jackman up front have just opened up the floor more for Spallina, and he hasn’t looked back. 

The Northmen are the top seed, and if they continue to get play like this from number 22, they have to be considered among a very short list of Minto Cup favourites.